Build Your Startup Like Bezos: How To Think Big and Act Small

Three examples of disruptive innovation from the early stage to total industry domination

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Jeff Bezos did not set out to become the king of home-delivered paperback books.

Today, when you think of Amazon, you think of it as the place to get everything you need — right now. But it wasn’t always this way. At one point, Bezos had his mind fully focused on shipping books. Everything that came later was the result of a common but complex startup strategy of thinking big and acting small.

I’ll use Amazon as the late-stage example for using the think-big-act-small strategy — like a cake I baked earlier to show you the gorgeous final product. And I’ll use two of my own startup experiences to show you how to bake the cake, and start thinking big and acting small right now.

From Books To Those Little Creamer Cups

Right before I sat down to write this article, I had just placed an order on Amazon Prime for coffee pods and those little creamer cups (an indulgence). Both arrived at my door less than 90 minutes later — before I finished my first draft.

I can picture Jeff Bezos, circa 1994, thinking, “Joe is writing. He needs his coffee. Not in…